This elite group, comprised of experts in the field, personally nominates all invitees and develops the Agenda, which forms the basis of our discussions.
Forum Overview
Dates: November 13 - 15, 2024
Location: Surrey, United Kingdom
The Steering Committee welcomes a select group of 48 leading competition litigators from across Europe, each selected based on the breadth of their experience. The group includes representatives for defendants, claimants and in-house counsel supplemented by a select group of economists and funders. This Forum provides an opportunity to share the most pressing issues faced on behalf of clients, learn how others address these problems, and identify solutions.
Using candid, seminar-style discussion, the group explores concerns from their varied jurisdictions and engages in meaningful dialogue on the most noteworthy and provocative matters in competition litigation.
2024 Steering Committee
Committee Co-Chairs
Committee Members
Dr. Thomas G. Funke is the co-head of the competition practice at Osborne Clarke. He advises on antitrust litigation, cartel investigations and digital antitrust.
The European Commission retained Thomas to defend its E.ON/Innogy and RWE/E.ON merger clearances against sixteen third-party challenges in the General Court of the European Union. In the European Court of Justice and the German Supreme Court, Thomas secured decisions in Hydrogen Peroxide (C-352/13), Akzo v Commission (T-345/12), CDC v Commission (T-437/08) and the BGH Coffee Roaster litigation. He supported Microsoft in high-stakes damages litigation and represents Deutsche Bahn in one of the largest German follow-on actions against the members of the European trucks cartel.
Thomas successfully defended industry leaders in European Commission cartel investigations, including a global automotive component supplier, a leading German retail group, an online payments provider and a digital champion from North America. Thomas also represented leniency recipients and negotiated settlements with the Bundeskartellamt. He has published on the EU block exemptions, antitrust procedure, energy regulation, vertical restraints, merger control and digital antitrust.
“A great antitrust litigator and a pre-eminent figure in European cartel investigations” (WWL)
The European Commission retained Thomas to defend its E.ON/Innogy and RWE/E.ON merger clearances against sixteen third-party challenges in the General Court of the European Union. In the European Court of Justice and the German Supreme Court, Thomas secured decisions in Hydrogen Peroxide (C-352/13), Akzo v Commission (T-345/12), CDC v Commission (T-437/08) and the BGH Coffee Roaster litigation. He supported Microsoft in high-stakes damages litigation and represents Deutsche Bahn in one of the largest German follow-on actions against the members of the European trucks cartel.
Thomas successfully defended industry leaders in European Commission cartel investigations, including a global automotive component supplier, a leading German retail group, an online payments provider and a digital champion from North America. Thomas also represented leniency recipients and negotiated settlements with the Bundeskartellamt. He has published on the EU block exemptions, antitrust procedure, energy regulation, vertical restraints, merger control and digital antitrust.
“A great antitrust litigator and a pre-eminent figure in European cartel investigations” (WWL)
David currently leads Microsoft’s global competition litigation matters. Prior to assuming this role in October of 2023, David led Microsoft’s global M&A regulatory and competition work, including oversight of Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Inc., which has involved regulatory processes in more than a dozen jurisdictions, extensive proceedings in the UK and EC, and a preliminary injunction trial and appeal against the Federal Trade Commission in the US.
David has over 30 years of antitrust regulatory and litigation experience spread across government, law firm and in-house positions, primarily in the areas of technology, telecommunications, media, and entertainment. Before joining Microsoft in September 2021, David spent five years at AT&T, where he worked on a variety of M&A matters and antitrust investigations, including the regulatory review, litigation, trial and appeal in U.S. v. AT&T, Inc. and Time Warner, Inc.
Previously, David was a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and a Shareholder at Heller Ehrman LLP, representing clients in antitrust litigation and regulatory matters in the technology, telecommunications, retail products and oil/gas industries. David began his career in the U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, and spent much of the 1990s managing merger and civil conduct investigations and litigation, including cross-border matters like Worldcom/Sprint and Worldcom/MCI.
David has over 30 years of antitrust regulatory and litigation experience spread across government, law firm and in-house positions, primarily in the areas of technology, telecommunications, media, and entertainment. Before joining Microsoft in September 2021, David spent five years at AT&T, where he worked on a variety of M&A matters and antitrust investigations, including the regulatory review, litigation, trial and appeal in U.S. v. AT&T, Inc. and Time Warner, Inc.
Previously, David was a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and a Shareholder at Heller Ehrman LLP, representing clients in antitrust litigation and regulatory matters in the technology, telecommunications, retail products and oil/gas industries. David began his career in the U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, and spent much of the 1990s managing merger and civil conduct investigations and litigation, including cross-border matters like Worldcom/Sprint and Worldcom/MCI.
Forum Director
Jessica has a Bachelor’s Degree from McMaster University in Art History, Criticism and Conservation. A seasoned event and marketing manager, she has executed live engagements globally in the legal, technology, financial, not-for-profit and consumer products industries for many of the world’s leading organizations.
Prior to joining Cambridge Forums, Jessica worked in conference management, specializing in executive events for C-Suite executives, Board members and VIP clients. A fluid communicator, Jessica utilizes her leadership skills and passion for creating flawless participant experiences as a Forum Director, focusing on programs in private wealth and antitrust. A food & wine aficionado, Jessica is also accredited with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 Award in Wine & Spirits.
When she’s out of the office, Jessica enjoys hot yoga, skiing and travel.
Shlayane holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Carleton University in Ottawa, ON.
Prior to joining the Cambridge team, she has developed a robust expertise in the event industry having orchestrated a diverse range of events from intimate gatherings to large-scale corporate functions. Shlay has successfully managed events for clients such as Fashion Bomb Daily, SickKids, Pinterest, and more showcasing her ability to handle complex logistics and creative challenges with ease.
Outside of the office, Shlay enjoys spin class, reading by the beach, and endless karaoke nights with her family.
CONNECT. ENGAGE. EXCEL. This is a different event, unlike any you've attended
Built on meaningful interactions and genuine connections, the Forum is the premiere gathering for preeminent European competition litigators.
SPONSORING THIS FORUM
The Steering Committee would like to thank the following sponsor for their support of the Cambridge Forum on European Competition Litigation.
Please click the logo below to learn more about our Sponsor.
Thank you to our Sponsor
We are pleased to announce that Oxera Consulting LLP will once again be hosting all participants for a Networking Reception and Dinner on Thursday, November 14, 2024. We would like to thank Oxera Consulting LLP for their continued support of the Cambridge Forum on European Competition Litigation.
About Oxera
For over 40 years, companies, competition authorities, courts and legal professionals have relied on Oxera’s economic expert advice. The firm provides advice and testimony in competition, regulation and finance matters as well as, commercial disputes, and antitrust damages cases.
Oxera has long been an important influence in the development of European antitrust damages. In 2009, Oxera wrote an influential and widely cited study for the European Commission on quantifying damages. Today, they continue to provide Commission-sponsored training courses for European judges on antitrust matters, including quantifying damages from competition law infringements.
Oxera’s leading pan-European litigation practice serves clients from offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Hamburg, London, Milan, Oxford, Paris and Rome with experts covering all areas of competition litigation. In litigation matters, the firm advise claimants, defendants and also act, from time to time, as court-appointed experts. Current clients include Microsoft, Google, Booking.com, Vattenfall, Volkswagen, Mastercard, CompareTheMarket and Renault.
Last year alone, Oxera advised claimants or defendants in over 70 commercial and antitrust damages cases across a wide range of jurisdictions. These included Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, the UK, Italy, France, Hong Kong, USA and Canada.
Oxera is consistently ranked as the leading European based economics consultancy in antitrust litigation in the Global Competition Review (GCR) rankings, and has also won a number of GCR awards in recent years.
Oxera’s antitrust damages practice is led by Oxera Partners Joseph Bell and Enno Eilts. Other key individuals are Nicole Rosenboom, Barbara Veronese, Avantika Chowdhury, Robin Noble and Kimela Shah.
To find out more about Oxera’s experts and litigation practice, please click here.
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